Actress Margot Kidder Gone At Age 69

By: Mackenzie Wright | May 22, 2018

Margot Kidder passed away peacefully in her Montana home in her sleep at the age of 69, reports her manager. The actress, best remembered as 'Lois Lane' in the 1970's and 80's 'Superman' franchise, but after health issues that brought her to a low point in her life, she became a mental health advocate.

Kidder was born in Northwest Territories in Canada in 1948, where she began her career in the 1960's. Her debut was in the short film, "The Best Damn Fiddler from Calabogie to Kaladar'. In 1969, she landed a role in the Beau Bridges film 'Gaily, Gaily'.

At the time, Kidder was debating whether or not to work behind the camera or in front of it. She told interviewer Dick Cavett in 1970 she was considering becoming an editor.

In the 1970's, the actress moved to the US. and spent time in Hollywood and New York City. She appeared in several films, including 'Quackser Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronx' with Gene Wilder, the Brian De Palma cult classic, 'Sisters', and ' The Great Waldo Pepper' with Robert Redford.

Kidder rose to fame when she was cast as the love interest of the Man of Steel in 'Superman: The Movie' in 1978. She says she and her co-star, Christopher Reeves, had great chemistry because he reminded her of her brothers.

"So the energy we had was one of brother and sister, which was often bickering, that took the place of romantic energy," she told the website Hey U Guys. "No one noticed the difference one from the other -- it worked. We didn't have to create a different reality."

In 1979, Kidder starred in 'The Amityville Horror' as Kathy Lutz, in the allegedly true story of how she and her family were tormented by ghosts and driven out of their new home. The film received mixed reviews from critics but was a huge success commercially.

She went on to revive the role in 'Superman II', 'Superman III' and 'Superman IV: The Quest for Peace'. Her co-star, Reeve, met with a tragic accident in the early 1990s, which left him quadriplegic. He passed away nine years later.

Kidder went on to appear in a number of films, including 'Heartaches', a 1991 film for which people thought she should have been nominated for an Oscar. The nomination never came to pass, however, and in the mid-1990s, Kidder's career began to decline.

The actress had several failed marriages and was suffering from mental health issues. She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and between divorces and mental health treatments, her money dwindled away to nothing. She found herself homeless.

When news got out of Kidder's sad fate that landed her on the streets, people reached out to help her. She was able to get back on her feet and resume her life.

She began working on independent films and in television, making guest appearances on popular shows such as 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit' 'Brothers and Sisters', 'The L Word' and 'Smallville', the television series based on Superman. She went on to win an Emmy for her performance in 'R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour'.

Kidder also became a mental health advocate and was politically active in both the U.S. and Canada.